AGL Submits Environmental Review Application for 2 GWh Energy Storage Project in Australia

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 2, Australian energy company AGL Energy's Mount Britton battery energy storage project in central Queensland entered the federal environmental review referral process. The project is planned to have an installed capacity of 500 MW and a usable energy storage capacity of 2,000 MWh, with a designed continuous discharge duration of 4 hours. The application was submitted by Mount Britton Battery Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGL, under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), and is awaiting a decision by the federal authority on whether further environmental impact assessment is required.

The project is located approximately 6 km north of Nebo and approximately 75 km southwest of Mackay in the Isaac Region of Queensland, with a planned site area of approximately 27 hectares, adjacent to Powerlink's existing Nebo 275 kV substation. According to the development plan, the energy storage facility is proposed to connect to this substation, and the project may be built as a single 500 MW phase or implemented in multiple stages of up to 250 MW each.

This environmental review application does not include new transmission lines or underground cables between the energy storage facility and the Nebo substation, nor does it include substation upgrade works. The entity responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the above-mentioned supporting grid facilities remains to be determined, and the related works will be subject to separate approval and implementation arrangements from the energy storage project.

AGL has obtained a lease option over the project land. The existing option is valid until March 2027 and may be extended to September 2028. The proposed land lease term is 21 years, with two renewal options of 5 years each. In addition to the federal environmental review process, the project also requires development approval under the Queensland Planning Act 2016 and the Isaac Region planning scheme.

According to the project's environmental documentation, no registered heritage sites have been identified within the development area. AGL is consulting with local Traditional Owners on a cultural heritage management plan and is conducting environmental and social impact assessments for the project.